NPI Fellows

The NPI Fellows are students who participate in an internship with our NPI community partners. There are a total of five internships that are offered each quarter. These are the testimonies of students who have interned.

What are your primary responsibilities?:
At HandsOn Tech I will be the Volunteer and Events Coordinator. We will be recruiting volunteers for skill based placements in a variety of Bay Area nonprofits. We look to match employees with knowledge on a specific technical skill that needs to be improved at a specific nonprofit. I will also be coordinating a variety of events that will take place over the next two quarters that teach nonprofits about how to better maximize the technology that they have available to them. An example would be a 4 session Google Adwords & Analytics technology summit that will start in March, teaching nonprofits how to use their Google for Nonprofits accounts.

What do you hope to learn from this experience?:
I hope to learn more about how HandsOn Tech is able to recruit successful volunteers and plan large scale events for 200+ nonprofits. I'd like to put on large-scale successful events that teach nonprofits how to better use technology. In my future I'd like to continue working to empower nonprofits to succeed and be able to combine nonprofit and for-profit work to make the world a better place. Lastly, I'd like to get more involved with NPI and the Leavey School of Business, hoping to make Santa Clara students more knowledgeable about the work we are doing.

What do you hope to contribute to the organization?:
I have experience working with other small nonprofits and am interested in comparing the work I've done to the work I will be doing here. Because of my experience, I hope to bring my prior knowledge to the work being done at HandsOn Tech to better aid their event and volunteer work. I also hope to bring new marketing strategies to HandsOn Tech and Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits social media to ensure their work is being seen by a wider variety of nonprofits.

What are your primary responsibilities?
As an Event and Volunteer Coordination Intern at HandsOn Tech, my main responsibilities involve planning events and recruiting skills-based volunteers for nonprofits. I work with my supervisors and fellow interns to organize events that aim to educate nonprofits about how to effectively use technology. On the volunteer coordination side, I communicate directly with nonprofits and match each organization with local volunteers who can address their technological needs. I also help manage SVCN and HandsOn Tech’s social media platforms.

What do you hope to learn from this experience?
Through this experience I hope to learn about the nonprofit sector and about how nonprofits are run. I’m an accounting major and am interested in working in the Nonprofit and Government Agency industry within accounting, so I would like to learn more about the business side of nonprofits. Additionally, I hope to increase my knowledge of technology by taking advantage of the many resources available to me at HandsOn Tech.

What do you hope to contribute to the organization?
I hope to contribute to HandsOn Tech by achieving my goals of managing 25 successful volunteer placements and organizing one training event per month until June. Via social media marketing, I would like to strengthen SVCN and HandsOn Tech’s online presence and increase their numbers of engaged followers. Overall, I want to be a flexible intern and help the SVCN/HandsOn Tech team in whatever ways they need me.

What are your primary responsibilities?
As an intern, my primary responsibilities consist of research and administrative tasks. When Liccardo was running for mayor, he wrote a book titled Safer City, Smarter Government: A Plan for San Jose’s Future and I am currently conducting preliminary research on two initiatives outlined in the book. These initiatives would expand after-school programs as well as invest in programs that provide career training and secondary education for at risk youth.

What do you hope to learn from this experience?
As a senior, I hope this experience will allow me to continue to discern which field I should pursue a career in. I am strongly interested in learning about the relationship between the the public and private sector, especially when it comes to economic development, and I believe this experience will expand my knowledge on this matter as well as allow me to find what role I could potentially play.

What do you hope to contribute to the organization?
I have taken advantage of numerous internship opportunities during my time at Santa Clara, and I hope I can contribute the skills I have acquired to the organization. My attention to detail and ability to work in a fast paced environment will supplement these initiatives and will allow me to accomplish a variety of tasks.

2015 NPI FellowMajor: FinanceMinor: EconomicsHometown: Reno, NVInterests: American literature, hiking, music, and spending time with good peopleOrganization/department you are working in: Washington Elementary School / Thriving Neighbors Initiative

What are your primary responsibilities?
I am currently working on an economic assessment for the Washington neighborhood. Based on census data and personal research, I hope to produce an economic report that will paint a better picture of the socio-economic climate in the neighborhood. I will also be assisting the PTA organization with funding and budgeting. Finally, I will act as a liaison between the Leavey School of Business and the Washington community.

What do you hope to learn from this experience?
I hope to learn to how to best utilize the business skills I am learning in the classroom to make a positive impact in a socially beneficial way. This internship allows me an amazing opportunity to leverage my degree in a way that benefits a community rather than company or a corporation. I also hope to learn about myself and continue my development as a human being.

What do you hope to contribute to the organization?
I hope to not only help the PTA organization fundraise, but create a sustainable fundraising model that will allow the organization to fundraise after the conclusion of my internship. I would also like to establish a bridge between SCU and the community so that the constituents know they have a partner and friend in the University. Finally, I hope that through my economic analysis I can help those living in Washington better understand their neighborhood.

2015 NPI FellowMajor: MarketingMinors: Retail Studies, DanceHometown: Santa Barbara, CaInterests: I am a creative-thinker and I love dancing and teaching kickboxing at the on campus gym at Santa Clara University. In my free time I enjoy cooking and traveling and taking long walks on the beach. Organization: Marketing and Public Relations Intern, CET

What are your primary responsibilities?
I assist the Public Relations Director and COO with Marketing campaigns and Social Media for all 15 CET locations across the United States. I am also planning the Grand Opening of the newest CET in Colton, CA.

What do you hope to learn from this experience?
I hope to gain experience from the event planning for CET Colton. I also hope to understand all the logistics and steps that it takes to create a comprehensive Marketing campaign.

What do you hope to contribute to the organization?
I want to contribute my business school training and my Special Events planning experience to the San Jose CET as we all work together to maintain and improve the 15 CET locations and open a new CET in Colton. Most of all, I want to leave CET feeling as though I positively impacted the organization.

What are your primary responsibilities?
Cristo Rey High School was established in June 2014, so there are always ways for me to contribute to the school’s success. We are always running around, planning and brainstorming; it is great experience, and I am learning about this revolutionary school model from the ground up. Cristo Rey High School helps lower income students receive an incredible private school education by enabling them to work off their tuition one day a week. They are employed by organizations in the Bay Area (Adobe, Cisco, The Sobrato Foundation, Santa Clara University, San Jose Catholic Diocese, etc.) in assistant and receptionist positions.

In the Work-Study Program, we connect the students to their ideal work placements and teach them office skills and professionalism. We impress upon the students a strong work ethic and urge the students to advance and succeed academically. I am currently planning re-training programs for those who are struggling at work, collecting feedback from students about their placements, and planning programs for next year’s students. I also work with students individually at school and at their work placements to improve productivity.

What do you hope to learn from this experience?
I want to develop a holistic knowledge of non-profit logistics and management and develop an understanding of the business model behind Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and Cristo Rey Corporate Work-Study Program.

What do you hope to contribute to the organization?
It is my goal to develop and innovate new training programs that will benefit Cristo Rey students for years to come and create new programs that target needs in the Cristo Rey community (basic financial planning program, professional relationship building program, etc.). I also hope to develop close relationships with the students, and become a confidant and role model for them.